Love Letters Curator tour

Across time, people have sought connection in countless ways. From heartfelt declarations and calculated proposals to anonymous or coded adverts.

Covering royalty and parliamentarians, literary icons and unknown scribes, Love Letters opens the envelope on the stories behind the documents and the consequences of their being, from eternal blessing to execution.

This revealing exhibition features not only letters, but declarations of love in other forms, including poems and drawings, official memorials and wills.

Encompassing forbidden relationships and family members separated by distance and circumstance, Love Letters offers a rare glimpse into personal emotions captured in a government collection – tender, intimate and deeply human.

Tours are led by exhibition curator Vicky Iglikowski-Broad.

Tours will take place on the dates and times listed at The National Archives in Kew, and will last approximately 45 minutes with time for questions. Please arrive promptly.

We also have a small number of dates available for group tours. Find more information here.

Discover the full season of events accompanying our free exhibition, Love Letters runs 24 January to 12 April 2026.